Gas hydrates are crystallized water-based solids which naturally occur in a variety of environments, such as the vicinity of hydrocarbon formations. One such example is methane gas, which exists in subsea formations as methane hydrate, a crystallized methane deposit primarily located in vast amounts at shallow depths beneath the ocean floor. Hydrate formation requires a specific set of components and conditions: light hydrocarbons in the C1 to C3 range, water, low temperature, and high pressure. If the conditions are right, the water phase can interact with the gas to form a clatharate structure which is almost ice like in consistency.
However, hydrates can prove quite problematic during offshore drilling, exploratory, and production operations. For example, hydrate formation can lead to significant blockage of crucial flow paths with all the attendant safety and productivity issues. This is especially relevant in sub-sea systems such as, for example, a sub-sea safety tree which tends to be located right at the sea bed where conditions are ideal for hydrate formation. In addition, during downhole operations, methane hydrates may undergo sublimation, whereby the methane is released as gas out into the atmosphere. Therefore, some method by which hydrate formation could be predicted would be quite useful to the industry.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a minimally invasive optical computing device utilizing ICE structures that allows for constant monitoring of the environment, especially the gas composition, so that a real time understanding of the potential for hydrate formation is available, and appropriate mitigation efforts might be undertaken.